Rhode Island's John Halloran is PETA's "Sexiest Vegan Next Door"
By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
Rhode Island’s own John Halloran has been crowned PETA’s “Sexiest Vegan Next Door.”
A South Kingstown resident and Warwick fire fighter, Halloran entered the competition upon his wife’s prompting, but never thought he’d make it all the way.
“I never thought I would make it this far,” said Halloran in an interview with WPRO back in April. “I’m blown away.”
At the time, Halloran was in the top ten and hoped that he could get enough votes to win the grand prize: a trip for two to Hawaii.
In an interview Thursday, Halloran said he "felt silly" about being a contestant "up until the last minute."
But his positive attitude and number of fans came through, and the number of votes he gained online grew and grew.
"I knew when my nine-year-old's baseball couch sent it out I knew I was in pretty deep," said Halloran.
Halloran has been on the Warwick Fire Department since 1996, and said the “most dangerous and inhumane building in their district is the supermarket.” Halloran said heart disease is the leading cause of death among fire fighters, and because of that, those in his industry need to be particularly careful about what they eat.
Halloran, 41, began his transition to veganism four years ago, and said he feels as good now as he did in college.
"John is as attractive on the inside as he is on the outside because he has chosen a lifestyle that's kind to animals, the planet, and his own health," said PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt in a statement. "The more people get to know him, the more likely they are to say, 'Yes, please!' to hearty vegan meals, such as John's scrumptious black-bean veggie wraps with vegan mayo—and that's a good thing for everyone."
Halloran saideven if he didn't win, he would have been happy he entered. Spreading the word about going vegan and getting people to start a conversation they normally might not have was enough for him.
Halloran said he and his wife will likely take the prize trip to Maui in January. He's never been to Hawaii before, and the couple hasn't taken a vacation without their children for 13 years.
Halloran said he would like to thank all of the people in Rhode Island for their support and votes. With a laugh he added that he'd also like to apologize to fellow Rhode Islander, Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, for "stealing her thunder for the past few weeks."
Winners of the "sexiest Vegan Next Door" contest were determined by the number of user votes they received, their enthusiasm promoting their entry, and PETA’s assessment of their physical attractiveness.
